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Thursday, June 27, 2013

Today I have the pleasure of having Nazarea Andrews guest posting on Leatherbound Reviews. She has taken the trouble of interviewing Atticus Grimes, the hero in This Love. If you are looking for a fun summer read, then you may want to check out her New Adult novel This Love.

Uh, I'm a
professor--the youngest hired at the University of Branton. There isn't a lot
to tell. I like history. I went to school here and came back to teach after
grad school. I like drinking with my best friend and a pretty girl. *slow grin*

*awkward pause* Why did you want to teach?

Well,
like I said. I went to school here. Me and Dane--

Dane?

My best
friend. Anyway, we went here together. College was a blast for me. I was young,
in a frat with some of the best parties. I did good in school and was crazy in
love--so when it was time to think about what I wanted to do after, it was an
easy choice.

You say you were in love?

*shifts*
yeah. Nik. I guess you'd say she was my high school sweetheart? Anyway. She was
my first love. We were young. Stupid.

How is it different, with Avery?

In every
way. Nik was with me because we were expected to be together. We grew up
together and we were in the same circle of friends and it just--happened. Avery
was a choice. She wasn't supposed to happen. But she did and it was a game
changer. I think love should be. It should change everything for you.

So, switching gears a little--favorite book?

*grin*
Treasure Island.

Avery describes you as an overgrown frat boy. Do you think
that's a fair assessment?

*amused
look* did she say that? Yeah. It's fair. Or, I guess I'd say it *was* fair.
I've changed a lot, since we first met.

Because of her?

Yup.

And you’re happy about
that? That Avery has changed you so much?

*a quiet
pause* I'd do anything for her. Changing-- growing up--isn't that big of a
sacrifice, if it means I get to keep her.

Hmm. Okay. One last question--something a little lighter.

Sure.

Favorite kind of shot?

*half-smile*
Body shots of tequila.

You would say that.

*laughing*

Thanks, Atti, for sitting down with us. It's
been...enlightening.

You can read more about
Atti and Avery in This Love, available now from Amazon and Barnes and Nobles.
:)

About This Love:

She wants a summer job and a ride to a wedding. He wants an assistant and a distraction from the mess life his had become.They didn't know they needed each other.Avery Emili needs two grand. Two grand and a plane ticket--her sister is
counting on her to get to Jamaica for her wedding. But the semester is over,
and tutoring college freshman and high school students has dried up until the
fall.Atticus Grimes needs help--the messy split with his wife left the twenty-eight
year old professor scrambling to keep things together as the semester winds
down. Now he's got a research grant he has to actually do research for and all
he wants to do is drown himself in a tall bottle of bourbon.When Avery sees his ad for an assistant, all she's thinking is a summer job.
But as they spend time together, in the office and out, both of them begin to
realize something is there. Something that can't happen--he's a professor and
she's a student. And both of them have histories, pasts that won’t let go. Can
two broken people pulled apart by expectations find a way to be whole?

About Nazarea:

Nazarea Andrews is an
avid reader and tends to write the stories she wants to read. She loves
chocolate and coffee almost as much as she loves books, but not quite as much
as she loves her kids. She lives in south Georgia with her husband, daughters,
and overgrown dog.

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Hurting people hurts other people. This is a truth
that we should acknowledge, if we are honest. And yet, our human nature takes
over and we tend to vilify those who seek to control us without looking for the
hurt that might be causing their behavior.

It is easy to dislike Lady Catherine DeBourgh. She
is controlling, vindictive, and pompous, and none of us wish to be in the
company of someone who makes us feel so demeaned. But, what if there is more to
Lady Catherine’s actions than merely spite and arrogance? Is it possible that
she is motivated not by a haughty need to control, but by fear and loneliness? Karen
Aminadra has introduced us to a Lady Catherine who is not revealed in the pages
of Pride and Prejudice, nor any other
novel I have seen to date.

Catherine DeBourgh has suffered the loss of
everyone she has ever loved – her parents, her husband, and her beloved only
sister – and has been rendered friendless by her own gruff, abrasive nature.
Even her ridiculous clergyman has left her for a more pleasant parish. Driven
by fear of losing the only people she has left, she seeks to control the lives
of her daughter and two nephews in hopes of keeping them close to her.

The Lady has convinced her daughter, Anne, as well
as everyone else, that Anne is sickly and cannot participate in the same
activities as other ladies. If she learns to ride a horse, she may have a fatal
fall. If she travels far beyond her home or attends parties, she could catch
someone else’s illness and succumb to it. Either scenario would leave Lady
Catherine desperately alone.

When Darcy defies his aunt’s wishes and marries
outside the family, and Colonel Fitzwilliam is detained in war, Lady Catherine
makes a new plan to ensure that Anne will remain in her company. She simply
must marry Anne off to a man of her
choosing and have them live with her at Rosings. And, what better way to choose
a husband for her daughter than to play hostess to a parcel of eligible young
men?

As the parade of potential suitors arrives, so
does a new clergyman, along with his no-nonsense, plain-speaking father, to
settle in to Hunsford.

As Lady Catherine begins to see the eligible
bachelors for the rakes they really are, Anne finally finds her own voice and
her mother could not be more proud to see a bit of herself in her only child.
But, what is it, exactly, that makes Catherine decide that status and rank mean
far less than forgoing fear and having joy in one’s life?

I truly enjoyed reading this book. I love to hate
Catherine DeBourgh, as many do, but I loved seeing the other side of her. It is
refreshing to know that the beastly Lady Catherine has human emotions and wants
to be loved and needed, just like the rest of us.

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

After reading Lady Harriette, I shockingly discovered that I actually liked P. O. Dixon's plucky heroine. (Some of you may find that difficult to believe given her youthful indiscretions). I was so intrigued by Lady Harriette, I just had to meet with her. Enjoy our conversation.

Thank you for joining me for tea, Lady Harriette. It truly has been a
pleasure getting to know you from the tales P. O. Dixon has told. Now, while I
am quite taken by your quick wit and determination, I know many readers do not
much care for you, given your past attempts at capturing Darcy, married or not.
Do you have anything to say to those readers who may not care to hear your side
of the story? How do you plan to convince them you are not the villain?

Thank you for the
invitation. I am honored to be here. I sometimes opine, would that my greatest
failing in life be my youthful infatuation with Mr. Darcy. Yet, here I sit
nearly three years later, on the cusp of turning one and twenty, and I can say
with certitude that I am not done making my share of mistakes. I can well
imagine some yet to be proclaimed sage pontificating, ‘if you are not making
mistakes, you are not living.’ I will live. I will love. I will make mistakes.
I will learn from my mistakes, and when in my power to do so, I will make
amends. In doing all these things, I shall accomplish precisely what I was
meant to do—to entertain.

Another feature readers have to look forward to is your growing
relationship with Elizabeth Darcy, nèe Elizabeth Bennet. I know at one time you
were not overly fond of the one lady who managed to capture Fitzwilliam Darcy’s
heart and soul. What brought about that change?

Think of it this
way; my giving notice to Elizabeth prior to her marrying Mr. Darcy would be
likened to Georgiana giving notice to my
paid companion. It simply was not done. Because it never once occurred to me
that Mr. Darcy would be attracted to his employee, I never had reason to
suppose his employee would be drawn to him. I had always been taught one did
not aspire to life beyond his or her sphere.

However, my
marriage to Richard changed everything for me. Not only how I viewed life and
the impenetrable virtues of rank and privilege, mind you. As a consequence of
my marriage to Richard, I realized none of those things matter when you love
someone. One thing I have learned from spending so much of my time in the
Darcys’ company is they truly love each other.

I have come to
think of Elizabeth as the sister I never had; the sister I always wanted. She
is older. She is wiser. She is patient. She counsels me, but she does not judge
me. Her willingness to forgive my transgression is what makes her so special,
and there is nothing I would not do for her. Of that, she is assured.

I find your ability to vex the old battle-ax, Lady Catherine, amusing.
I am always diverted by characters who can ruffle her feathers. Tell us more
about your relationship with the formidable lady.

Here is a secret
about me. I admire Lady Catherine for her devotion to her family. She likes to
have her own way, but I know few women of her age, by virtue of their rank and
privilege, who do not. The thing about her ladyship is she reads much like an
open book. The easiest thing in the world to do is kowtow to her. One might
ignore her ladyship altogether, but where is the fun in that?

In the past, you have practiced some rather unladylike pursuits such
as fencing. Do you still practice? And with whom are you practicing these days?
;)

Yes, fencing,
hunting, racing about on horseback, and even billiards were but a few of my
favorite pastimes of youth. Whilst my excellent father and even my older
brother encouraged me, you may recall my dear husband has no qualms when it
comes to voicing his objections. I am not as inclined to partake in such
endeavors as I once was. I attribute it to my husband having introduced me to
many other pleasurable pastimes.

Now that you are married, please enlighten your readers as to some of
your favorite benefits to being married. And what is it like marrying a man
with no fortune?

I believe my
husband’s lack of fortune is of greater concern to him than it is to me. I have
never wanted for anything, and I have no reason to expect I ever shall. With
respect to my dear husband’s misgivings, I suppose the male ego derives
particular satisfaction from the notion of being the sole provider.

As for the
benefits of being married, I would have to say waking in my husband’s arms tops
my list, along with the many other pleasurable pastimes I made reference to
earlier.

I thank you for allowing me this opportunity to give readers a chance
to know you. As vexing as your behavior was during those earlier times, I would
say you have come a long way since the days of your misguided attempts to
secure Mr. Darcy’s affections, even after he pledged his heart to another. I am
glad I took the time to read your story. I hope others will consider reading it
too.

You are most welcome. One thing I recommend to readers who
enjoy P. O. Dixon books, yet may be tempted to forego reading this wonderfully
diverting account of my first year of marriage to Richard and our enduring
friendship with the Darcys is to read the book’s dedication. In seven short
words, it says all one needs to know.